PREMIERE: The Rocket Summer’s “Cold War” is a glitch-pop reinvention

It’s been a long and winding road since Bryce Avary first started putting out music under the name the Rocket Summer 16 years ago. He’s seen indie record labels collapse, major label deals tie him up and bands who he took out on tour leapfrog him in sales. But Avary has never been driven by commerce; instead, he is a true artist, someone who chases his muse wherever it might lead. And on Zoetic, Avary’s first new album in four years, it has led him to some surprising places. Where previous Rocket Summer albums were rooted in pop-rock, Zoetic embraces electronic elements without ignoring Avary’s infallable knack for hooks—think of it as if Trent Reznor, Mutemath and Paper Route formed a supergroup in secret.

Today, we’re debuting one of Zoetic‘s finest tracks, “Cold War.” The song is a retelling of a life-altering night Avary spent in Marfa, Texas. He explains:

“I’d heard of these famous mystery lights that Marfa is known for my whole life and couldn’t wait to see them. I stopped at a viewing center along with around 50 other people trying to catch a glimpse of these lights. There was a red tower blinking in time in the distance that people were trying to convince themselves was one of these mystery orbs. It was all kind of disappointing. I looked up at the sky and saw the most brilliant sea of stars I’d ever seen and was so awestruck that I decided to lie down on the concrete and just stare at the sky, taking it all in. It was so wildly beautiful. Surrounded with people yearning to see these lights yet not acknowledging this gift that was right in front of us seemed appropriate and all too familiar to what was going on in my own life. That feeling of what you want vs what you need. The song is about that tension between my heart and my mind; when your soul is at war with itself.”

The Rocket Summer’s Zoetic will be released February 26 via Aviate Records and can be pre-ordered here.

The Rocket Summer will support Zoetic with an extensive North American tour this spring:

Scott Heisel is a writer and editor for hire. He has been writing professionally since 1997, with thousands of bylines in numerous national publications, including Alternative Press, where he was a member of their in-house editorial staff for 10 years.

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